In the four years since Atrium Health Navicent Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital opened its doors on Feb. 25, 2019, central and south Georgia’s only dedicated pediatric hospital has continued to drive for excellence in enhancing the lives of children through high-quality patient care and education.

“Atrium Health Navicent Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital is proud to be central and south Georgia’s dedicated pediatric hospital and to provide the very best care to young patients,” said Atrium Health Navient President Delvecchio Finley. “Each day our teammates innovate to better the now and create the future for our children and we thank the community for its philanthropy and support of our mission to improve health, elevate hope and advance healing for all.”

In 2022, the children’s hospital saw:

• A 17 percent increase in pediatric out-patient visits
• A 28 percent increase in Pediatric Emergency Department visits
• A 22 percent increase in pediatric floor admissions
• A 13.5 percent increase in surgical procedures
• A 12 percent increase in Pediatric intensive Care Unit admissions

Due to a growing demand for additional service options, by 2018 the hospital had outgrown its facility, constructed in 1962 and designed for adult health care. Atrium Health Navicent Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital was constructed adjacent to the existing facility, expanding the hospital’s size by 100,000 square feet, providing a total of 160,000 square feet dedicated to meeting the needs of ill and injured children.

Key accomplishments since the hospital’s inception include:

• A clinical affiliation between Atrium Health Navicent Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital and physicians at Phoebe Health in Albany which allows patients in southwest Georgia to receive expanded services, including virtual and in-person pediatric specialty consultations, the most advanced pediatric diagnostics available and state of the art medical treatments close to home.
• In addition to Atrium Health Navicent’s “School House Health” partnership with Bibb County Schools, the health system has partnered with Peach County Schools to offer Peach County students, teachers and school staff access to a virtual visit with a health provider without leaving their school campus.
• A breast milk depot located at Atrium Health Navicent Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital allows local nursing mothers to donate their extra breast milk to benefit premature babies through a partnership with the King’s Daughters Milk Bank in Norfolk, Va. Since opening, 30,216 ounces of breast milk has been donated by local women, enough to provide nutrition for as many as 120,800 premature babies in need.
• By offering the Vocera EASE app, families with babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit have a new way to stay connected with their infants and care teams when they cannot be at the bedside.
• A pediatric imaging center has been designed specifically to set children at ease when receiving diagnostic testing such as X-rays, ultrasounds, MRIs and CT scans.
• Virtual health services offer access to pediatric infectious disease consultations with Atrium Health specialists, support for newly diagnosed pediatric diabetes patients and support for parents of babies who may need close follow-up to ensure healthy weight gain at home.
• While actively recruiting specialists to expand access to care close to home, the hospital recently welcomed two new pediatric gastroenterologists, a developmental pediatrician and a pediatric neurologist.

Atrium Health Navicent Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital is a member of the Children’s Oncology Group and is accredited through the Child Life Internship Program from the Association of Child Life Professionals. It is also a member of the American College of Surgeons National surgical Quality Improvement Program for pediatrics and the Vermont Oxford Network, which allow the hospital to measure successes relative to other programs across the country. As the only dedicated pediatric facility in central and south Georgia, and one of the most comprehensive in the state, the children’s hospital has the only dedicated Pediatric Emergency room in the area, and also provides care in general pediatrics, pediatric critical care, neonatal intensive care and outpatient services. The hospital also serves as the primary teaching site for the Department of Pediatrics at the Mercer University School of Medicine. Atrium Health Navicent will announce the 2023 Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) Champion on March 6. The child will represent children treated every year at Atrium Health Navicent Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital, encourage local CMN partners in their fundraising campaigns and promote awareness about the children’s hospital’s charitable needs.

For more information about Atrium Health Navicent Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital, or for help finding a doctor, visit childrenshospitalnh.org.